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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Death is Visiting

Death has been hanging around this week. He’s sitting on the
windowsill smoking a cigarette. Whenever I come in or out of the house he just
nods and says, “Hey.” I know why he’s here.

A friend’s husband has died. Joe had Alzheimer’s for ten
years. Finally, death…but still, death. Another friend of John’s—maybe two
weeks to live or maybe four? John hasn’t
seen him in years so he drove to Worchester this morning to say hello, and “Good-bye”
after all this time.

And death nods.

And yes, it’s Veteran’s Day. On NPR I hear a mother and
father interviewed about the way that they learned of their son’s death, and
their experience of going to Arlington this week to see his grave for the first
time.

And tomorrow Annie will go to the Saratoga National Cemetery
to bury Joe.

And death sees me coming and going and listening and
dressing. He puts out his cigarette on the sill, and just nods.